Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015)
This article offers a reading of Deborah Feldman’s memoir sequel, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (2012) and Exodus: A Memoir (2015), through the lens of what Leigh Gilmore calls 'the auto/biographical demand'. It argues that Feldman writes under the 'auto/bio...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Groningen Press
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of Life Writing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/42450 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832590585754550272 |
|---|---|
| author | Szidonia Haragos |
| author_facet | Szidonia Haragos |
| author_sort | Szidonia Haragos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article offers a reading of Deborah Feldman’s memoir sequel, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (2012) and Exodus: A Memoir (2015), through the lens of what Leigh Gilmore calls 'the auto/biographical demand'. It argues that Feldman writes under the 'auto/biographical demand' as the grandchild of Hungarian Holocaust survivors and redeploys the inherited story of gendered suffering during the Holocaust in order to reconfigure her own Jewish American identity. I employ Gilmore’s concept to reflect upon the writing of the self in Feldman’s memoir sequel in terms of narrative entanglement, postmemory, and third generation transmission of collective trauma. In addition, the article reflects on Feldman’s text as an echo chamber of the profoundly controversial Kastner affair during the Holocaust in Hungary and its transatlantic reverberations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-208edc9e62d54a728626ba821c6f3f32 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2211-243X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Groningen Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Life Writing |
| spelling | doaj-art-208edc9e62d54a728626ba821c6f3f322025-01-23T10:01:57ZengUniversity of Groningen PressEuropean Journal of Life Writing2211-243X2025-01-0114254610.21827/ejlw.14.4245032117Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015)Szidonia Haragos0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5761-487XShanghaiTech UniversityThis article offers a reading of Deborah Feldman’s memoir sequel, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots (2012) and Exodus: A Memoir (2015), through the lens of what Leigh Gilmore calls 'the auto/biographical demand'. It argues that Feldman writes under the 'auto/biographical demand' as the grandchild of Hungarian Holocaust survivors and redeploys the inherited story of gendered suffering during the Holocaust in order to reconfigure her own Jewish American identity. I employ Gilmore’s concept to reflect upon the writing of the self in Feldman’s memoir sequel in terms of narrative entanglement, postmemory, and third generation transmission of collective trauma. In addition, the article reflects on Feldman’s text as an echo chamber of the profoundly controversial Kastner affair during the Holocaust in Hungary and its transatlantic reverberations.https://ejlw.eu/article/view/42450auto/biographical demandtransgenerational transmissionthird generationholocaust in hungary |
| spellingShingle | Szidonia Haragos Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) European Journal of Life Writing auto/biographical demand transgenerational transmission third generation holocaust in hungary |
| title | Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) |
| title_full | Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) |
| title_fullStr | Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) |
| title_short | Writing under the 'Auto/biographical Demand' in Deborah Feldman’s Unorthodox (2012) and Exodus (2015) |
| title_sort | writing under the auto biographical demand in deborah feldman s unorthodox 2012 and exodus 2015 |
| topic | auto/biographical demand transgenerational transmission third generation holocaust in hungary |
| url | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/42450 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT szidoniaharagos writingundertheautobiographicaldemandindeborahfeldmansunorthodox2012andexodus2015 |